Citizenship by descent: the five best second passports through ancestry

If you’re lucky, you can qualify for a European passport through citizenship by descent.

Hi, I'm Andrew Henderson. I've spent almost a decade learning the right way (and the wrong way) to "plant flags" for greater freedom and prosperity. If you're tired of paying high taxes and living like a slave, then this blog will show you to how go where you're treated best. It is legally possible to dramatically reduce your tax burden, move your money overseas, and get a second passport... all while living wherever you please. If that sounds good to you, keep reading or click here if you need immediate help.

Having a second passport is a vital step on the path to internationalization and a great way to open up new opportunities and freedoms for yourself. You always have the option to pay lots of money and buy an economic citizenship or you could get residence somewhere and camp out until you are naturalized.

For those lucky enough to have ancestors from certain countries, however, getting a second passport can be as easy as filling out some forms. A number of countries offer “citizenship by descent”, a process which allows you to apply for citizenship based on having family born in that country.

In many countries, such citizenship by descent is limited to one generation: your parents. It’s the same principle that passes US citizenship to children born overseas to American parents. However, some countries offer second passports to those with family trees that go as far as three generations back under certain circumstances. The following are the five countries with the best programs for gaining citizenship based on your ancestry.

The five best programs for second citizenship by descent

Israel’s Law of Return allows Jews and those with Jewish family members to claim Israeli citizenship.

5. Israel

While not exactly a citizenship by descent program based on nationality, Israel allows Jews and those who convert to Judaism to enter the country under the Law of Return. Once there, you can rather easily obtain Israeli citizenship. The Law of Return also allows for the spouse of a Jew or the child or grandchild of a Jew to return. The law was made to be broad in response to government oppression of Jews in other countries, such as Poland, where Jews often had non-Jew family members living with them.

Getting an Israeli passport does come with certain civic obligations. For one, all Israeli citizens are required to serve in the military, including women. Also, Israelis are not permitted to visit a number of countries: Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Yemen and Iran — even using a foreign passport — given that these countries don’t recognize Israel’s right to exist. The UAE, Bahrain, Algeria, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Bangladesh also don’t allow Israelis to visit with their Israeli passport. If you’re a US citizen looking to reduce geopolitical risk, an Israeli passport likely won’t help you, but you can get one without fulfilling a residency requirement.

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Poland offers second citizenship by descent through a somewhat complicated process.

4. Poland

Polish citizenship by descent laws can be downright confusing. The citizenship law requires uninterrupted lineage between you and one grandparent with Polish citizenship, which was only possible after 1918. If someone got naturalized and gave up their Polish passport along the way, it could likely mean the chain is broken and you may not be eligible. To make things more tricky, there are various Citizenship Acts that set different standards. The results are somewhat interesting, such as the fact that you may be eligible for citizenship but your sibling may not be.

However, Poland is a growing central European country. Poland’s currency was on a roll for a while, but has been battered by the emerging markets plunge. However, as a Polish citizen you also enjoy the benefits of being a citizen in an EU member country with full freedom of movement, although Poles cannot visit the United States without a visa.

Spain’s Law of Historical Memory offered a Spanish passport to those whose families suffered oppression.

3. Spain

Spain’s Law of Historical Memory was passed in 2007 as a way to condemn the Spanish Civil War and the ensuing Franco dictatorship. Part of the law allowed for children and grandchildren of Spanish exiles to apply for Spanish citizenship, regardless of whether or not they or their parents were born in Spain. While the window for the Law of Historical Memory has closed, Spain offers other ways to become naturalized through a period of residence. If you have citizenship by birth in almost any South American country, you can apply after one year of residence. If you’re a Sephardic Jew, you can apply after two years of residence.

Spain also offers a second residency program for those who buy real estate in the European country. The property market has gotten so bad there that squatters now dominate apartment blocks in several cities. Nevertheless, if you’re not of Hispanic descent, or your ancestors weren’t expelled from the country, it’s a way to get residence — not citizenship — in highly unemployed Spain.

Italy offers second citizenship “by the blood” to those with Italian ancestry.

2. Italy

Claiming your Italian citizenship is a relatively bureaucratic process, but eligibility is fairly broad. For the most part, you can claim Italian citizenship by descent if your grandparent was an Italian citizen and neither your parent (their child) nor you expressly gave up your rights to such citizenship. You can even make a claim based on a grandparent’s birth in Italy, provided no one along the line was naturalized elsewhere in a way to abandon their Italian citizenship. It can get a little tricky based on when you were born and even based on your sex, but a lot of foreigners are actually entitled to an Italian passport.

Whether Italy is a safe haven is a different story. Strikes there are frequent and the country is broke. Getting an Italian passport for sentimental reasons, or just as a back-up is one thing. Living there is another. It’s fine for now, but if the place turns into the next Greece, you might want to be careful moving too many of your eggs to Italy’s basket.

Ireland offers one of the most straightforward citizenship by descent programs, allowing those with Irish grandparents to get a passport.

1. Ireland

There are more than fourteen million Irish passports in circulation, despite Ireland’s population of barely four million people. Thanks to friendly government policies, getting an Irish passport by descent is a relatively straightforward process. If at least one of your grandparents was born in Ireland, you are entitled to Irish citizenship no matter where you or your parents were born. You must simply register yourself in the Foreign Birth Register and then apply. You can also ensure eligibility for your future children whose great-grandparent was born in Ireland by registering their birth in the Register when they are born.

While Ireland has had its problems, it’s a beautiful country with amazingly friendly people. You can live in Ireland up to 280 days per two years before becoming tax resident. You also have certain rights to live and work in EU or EEA member countries. You can learn more about obtaining Irish citizenship by descent here.

While this article lists the best programs for citizenship by descent, there are other countries that offer citizenship based on your ancestry as well. Among these are Lithuania and other European countries. Either way, obtaining a second passport through your bloodline is much cheaper and usually faster than getting a passport by investment, or through naturalization.

If you’d like help getting started, click on the link below; our free Strategy Session can help you.

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Andrew has been internationalizing since 2007, and has learned what works and what doesn't work when it comes to second passports, offshore banking, tax reduction, and investing. He shares strategies you can use to grow and protect your own wealth and freedom. Get his free Strategy Session by clicking here.

Poland itself may offer citizenship relatively easily but be aware that they don’t treat anyone with it as a dual-citizen. Once you have Polish citizenship, you’re a Polish citizen.
The country remains relatively left leaning, anti business and part of the relative success has been investment from the EU and EURO2012 tournaments which ended last year.

Ted

You can get Italian citizenship even if your great-grandfather was an Italian citizen. As long as he was naturalized after the birth of your grandfather(I’m talking about US citizens since birth automatically entitles one to US citizenship) Italy recognizes anyone born to an Italian citizen abroad to be Italian regardless of whether their parent renounces citizenship later. Of course this only applies to the paternal side before 1949.

jennifermavens

No, it simply means that when you are in Poland, you are considered Polish, and you may not use your other citizenship there, nor seek consular assistance from your country while in Poland. Outside of Poland, you may use whichever citizenship you choose (unless your home country has similar restrictions there also).

Janice

My father was a Jewish Austrian citizen forced to flee in 1938. Is it possible for me to acquire dual citizenship based on ancestry? I’ve read that Austria doesn’t allow dual citizenship except in certain cases and wonder if this is one exception.

Scrupulous.Geographer

It’s not certain. Austria paints itself as a victim of Hitler and everything but in fact it’s very right wing, and despite saying that it is willing to return stolen pieces of art to its rightful owners, in reality, it really doesn’t seem eager to do so, or to compensate victims of persecution/prosecution. It’s worth a try, though.

Escamilla 89

If I was born in Mexico and my great grandmother was born in santander, españa. How can I get the passport. Note my grandmother she stills live she is 82 years old. Can I just go to an embassy and ask for the passport? Of course with the birth certificate.

UnoAnt

The window for us to do that has closed -__-

Jay

What if my great grandmother was an Italian citizen. Would I be eligible?

Possibly; it depends on the year she left and if the chain of citizenship was broken. Use our contact form to send us a message and we’ll see if we can help you.

Scrupulous.Geographer

It is extremely likely, if not certain

PeacefulLife

Slovakian is pure hell if you were born between 1949-1969. Due to Trianon, Hungary offers “simplified nat” — catch is you need SOME language ability. Grandparents born before 1920 in the FORMER Kingdom of Hungary (Slovakia, Romania, Serbia etc)
I will try again in 3 weeks. I have had papers certified and now its just a language interview that will decide a yes or no.

Dr. Hoo

I want to live in the UK or europe America sucks . Some european woman marry me so I can get a greencard or whatever you guys have, I work and I hate muslims.

Jenna Grant

Hello, hoping someone can point me in the right direction, my story is a little complicated. So I am after obtaining a eu passport, both my parents were born in Australia, but my mums stepdad was born in Hungary, now, he has been a part of our lives for over 40 years, I call him grandad, he also has a son to my grandmother, a half brother to my mum. A there a possibility I would be able to get an eu passport? Or where to begin!

vegan_markg

Jenna, I don’t think so. I say this because I went in for my initial interview for Hungarian citizenship through the law of return. I had to show a connection to my grandparent. So, I produced his birth certificate, my mom’s birth certificate showing him as her father and my birth certificate showing my mother as my mother. I asked the consulate if they needed any marriage certificates or anything else and they told me no and that they were impressed that I had clearnly down my homework. So now I have an interview in Hungarian in a week or so but I’m told it’s very basic. And, all of my children will get a Hungarian passport after mine.

iLaw

A bit off topic on the countries mentioned above, does Argentina offer these kind of ancestry route? Like my paternal great grand father who’s a Argentinian citizen, by any slight possibility of a chance like myself to get hold of it? Well everyone knows beaucracy is always there & they wouldn’t just give citizenship to someone who haven’t set foot their. So yeah, any opinions?

vegan_markg

It’s a bit different with Argentina. I just checked and they will only give you citizenship if one of your parents was born in Argentina.